The words “first ride of the season” aren’t usually followed by “and a bucks show”, but that’s how the Year of the Snake began for us.
And why not? You may recall a man named Tim Pengilly, famous for inventing the ‘PUTS’ (Stubbies) methodology, which elevates the measure of time to include complexity — perfect for estimating DIY mechanical tasks by rating jobs according to the number of stubbies consumed and their alcohol strength.
Well, at the tender age of 44, Tim was soon to be married. For the first time. Naturally, he deserved a bucks show and about 12 of his closest friends turned up for a weekend away at a large Airbnb situated on the banks of the Murray River in picturesque South Australia. It also happened to be located directly adjacent to a fine country pub.
Friday night was a solid session but not too wild, with no eyebrows lost that evening, except for Tim, who had a few more shots presented to him than he might have liked. The next morning, half of the crew kitted up for an epic enduro ride around the Riverland. Heads were sore, hands were soft and some waistbands had expanded (not from the previous night’s session but due to longer-term natural causes).
Only one, Tom Pearce, a country lad with endless trails near his home in SA’s south-east, had ridden in the previous four months. That was unusual and, as a group, we should be ashamed. It feels wrong putting it in print. Personally, I had been living overseas and felt that was a valid excuse — also the reason you haven’t seen articles from me lately. I was encouraged to write again by Tom Angelos when he said he missed reading my articles on the john.
The morning prior to the bucks weekend I collected my bike from Banks Race workshop. It was now sporting some WP suspension upgrades, including WP 7500 Cone Valve inserts (more to come on this), and a slick new sticker kit. I had handed it over in rather sorry condition after a fairly large get-off where I was caught out by a cut-off stump hidden in lush green grass.
So, one by one, we shakily kitted up. Tim (the buck) Pengilly riding his ’20 Sherco 500 SEF, Tom ‘Pearcey’ Pearce his ’23 Beta RR 480 Racing, Jono Harms his ’19 Husqvarna FE350, Alex Marshall a ’20 KTM 500 EXC-F, Tom Angelos a ’20 Husqvarna FE450 and myself a ’24 KTM 450 EXC-F. With the buck trying valiantly not to throw up in his helmet, we set off down the main street of Mannum. Having registered enduro bikes is a godsend and, after some road riding, we soon veered off into the endless, and totally underrated, single trail of SA’s Riverland. You can ride for hours and hours, days and days, and continue to explore amazing trails. On one hand you might not meet another rider all day, yet at the same time you’re never too far from a country pub or servo when either rider or bike runs dry.
The ride quickly established that we were rusty. Marsh had forgotten to fuel up his KTM 500. Then he also announced (uncharacteristically) that he would take it easy. However, he had just fitted full WP Pro suspension — Cone Valve forks and a Trax shock — so 60 seconds later he forgot that and roared past Jono, overtaking through the overgrown mallee-country single trail. Unsurprisingly, three corners later his bike was pointing backwards and he was on the ground holding his knee. Luckily, he dusted himself off, and after a couple more little incidents we were all duly chastened. If you want to ride fast and well, you need to do it often. There’s no other way to be bike fit, a lesson we all know but like to forget.
Early on we followed tight, twisting sandy single trail, mostly in second gear, with some tight sandy first-gear corners and rarely more than third. The trails were littered with endless rocks, which, to be honest, I hate. The bush and trees were heavily overgrown and you had to constantly move around or flatten yourself under branches to survive. It was clear other riders hadn’t been through to snap off sticks and branches for a long time. Despite the constant ducking and weaving, jerseys were torn, helmets were cracked by branches and a couple of lads were lucky not to get skewered outright, but it was great fun.
As for those rocks, they had me swearing and, were it not for the amazing suspension upgrades, I would have struggled. I noticed straight away that the 7500 Cone Valves, combined with a more compliant setup than standard, meant the bike soaked up hits that I expected would end in disaster. Instead of deflecting, it tracked true through the endless rough rocks, which ranged from cricket-ball to bowling-ball size. Some were embedded in the ground, many were loose. It was a tricky start for shaky riders but, over time, the trails became sandier and sections produced some fantastic bursts of whoops where you could lean back and pin the throttle.
We welcomed a break at the Walker Flat ferry. A little servo and snack bar allowed us to refuel before crossing on the free ferry to the other side of the river and continuing the adventure. The trails just kept getting better as we rode alongside 70-metre-high cliffs overlooking the mighty Murray River. The views are spectacular and the trails opened into faster sections, mostly fourth- and fifth-gear, with flowing corners, whoops and jumps. Some care is needed when the whooped-out tracks run close to the cliff edges, but it’s a truly fantastic place to ride. Anyone who lives out this way and enjoys dirt bikes and water skiing is living a pretty good life.
We kept riding, following epic tracks that criss-crossed between small country towns. One section features serious whoops very similar to Finke and is a favourite training ground for South Australian Finke racers. It really tested our fitness. It’s a section I love but one that demands full commitment. Pearcey, who likes to hold it wide open, somehow survived a huge cross-up and we all made it through in varying amounts of time. For me, soft hands and not having a set of Steg Pegz (I’d bent mine beyond recognition on the previous ride) meant an aggressive start to the whoops ended in exhaustion, but I still got through thanks largely to the suspension keeping me upright when everything else was turning to jelly.
After around three hours on the bikes we eventually rolled back into the Airbnb, peeled off our tattered riding gear and cooled down with a swim in the Murray before settling in for lunch and a few beers. As far as bucks weekends go — or any riding weekend, for that matter — it doesn’t get much better.
While riding the whooped-out sections we crossed paths with a group training for Finke on KTM 500s. They asked Pearcey about his Beta RR 480 Racing but weren’t sure about parts availability and dealer support. That got me thinking it was worth giving readers a quick rundown on the bikes we were riding in case you’re considering one. I know you’re supposed to include rider weights, but I don’t think anyone would appreciate that. Let’s just say everyone falls somewhere between 90 and 100kg.
